How to spend an arty kids weekend in Melbourne

Deep into the first half of , my 8-year-old daughter Ramona turns to me and whispers in wonder, “Tell me it’s just a play.”

Nothing we are seeing could be real life. There are wands shooting fire, a magnificent hairy-hoofed centaur and time travel, yet since arriving at Melbourne’s The Princess Theatre we’ve been absorbed so completely into Harry Potter world and its familiar characters, the request seems totally rational.

It’s just a play. A play that has been at the heart of Melbourne’s theatre scene since it opened in February 2019. New Zealand actor Gareth Reeves plays JK Rowling’s boy wizard Harry, now all grown up and dad to Hogwarts student Albus.

Originally performed over two nights, this year the play was condensed to one three-and-a-half hour show, which makes it much easier to pack into a kids-focused arty weekend in Melbourne.

Impressively, everything in the palatial theatre has been fitted out for the production from the carpet in the foyer to the dragon light fittings plus a stage setup to pull off the most astonishing illusions I’ve seen in a theatre.

Ramona’s verdict:

One of the brilliant things about a quick trip to Melbourne with children is the two hours you gain on the way. We arrive unhurried with plenty of time to check in to a hotel and get to an evening show of the musical .

Full disclosure. We are not unbiased Hamilton goers. I was fortunate to see it on Broadway with show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role. Ramona made a gang of 7-year-olds watch the filmed version of that production for her birthday party. We potentially qualify as Hamilfans.

For those who aren’t, Hamilton is a musical about American founding father Alexander Hamilton, the war of independence, US constitution, politics and financial systems. And if that sounds like it’s not a kids’ thing, it absolutely is.

Miranda is a masterful songwriter (he’s also written songs for Disney films and ) interweaving hip hop, jazz, RnB and belting Broadway styles in a groundbreaking approach to musical theatre.

The production is true to the original in set design, costume and staging and the Australian and New Zealand cast, including Matu Ngaropo as George Washington and Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, are well up to performing the lyrical gymnastics and moving human story.

Ramona’s verdict:

If Ramona needed reassurance in the dark theatre, it was me who needed to be told everything would be OK inching onto the Eureka Tower’s , 88 floors above the Yarra River at Riverside Quay, Southbank.

The viewing deck is at 285m, 100m higher than the Auckland Sky Tower, and the views are well worth the effort. Already at my bravery limit, I skipped the virtual reality experience where you walk a plank from the building’s edge and zipline through the city. Ramona loved it so much she did it twice.

Ramona’s verdict:

Make the trip easy on yourself and stay central. Sofitel on Collins () has generous-sized comfortable rooms with great views of the city and is within walking distance, even for smaller legs, from all the theatres and many other central city attractions: NGV (National Gallery of Victoria), ACMI (Australian Centre for Moving Image), Federation Square. When little legs do get tired, jump on a tram. All trams in the CBD are free to ride.

When hungry tummies need filling fast, you can’t beat a sushi train. Sushi Hub () at 55 Swanston St has just the right range of freshly made sushi chugging by.

For a pre- or post-show dinner, nearby Chinatown is the place to go. Shanghai Village dumpling house at 112 Little Bourke St instantly serves up steaming piles of delicious dumplings in a buzzing, two-storey restaurant with bright pink walls.

Perennial fave spaghetti bolognese feels like the fanciest meal on Earth when eaten at an authentic Italian restaurant in a laneway off Little Flinders St. Try Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana () which has a welcoming kids menu, and a lovely drop of Margaret River chenin blanc for the deserving adults.

- It's best to bring your own headphones on an international flight so you can watch the screens and it's not uncomfortable

- If your parents are on the window side, ask to switch so you can look out if you get bored

- If you're feeling scared, always put down the window shade

- Have something to snuggle like a scarf or blanket if you're feeling excited in the plane or the theatre

- Once you get there, go on walks to get to know where you are

- Have fun.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on at The Princess Theatre Melbourne. See:

Hamilton is on at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne until January 15, 2023, Lyric Theatre in Brisbane January 27-April 2, 2023 and coming to and coming to Spark Arena, Auckland from May 26, 2023. See: